


You'll Be in My Heart

by BaronPuddinPaws, SallyWhite92



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Awkward Romance, Childhood Friends, Childhood Sweethearts, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Illustrated, Interspecies Romance, Prejudice, Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-02
Updated: 2016-11-19
Packaged: 2018-08-28 13:25:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8447647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BaronPuddinPaws/pseuds/BaronPuddinPaws, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SallyWhite92/pseuds/SallyWhite92
Summary: Gideon Grey is only twelve years old when Judy Hopps decides to take him under her wing. As they grow up together, they learn that not everyone is as accepting of their friendship--and possibly more--as they had hoped. Facing years of prejudice and awkward encounters together, there's only one thing they know for sure--they have no intention of letting the other be alone. Written by Sally White, illustrated by BaronPuddinPaws





	1. Death Doesn't Discriminate

**Author's Note:**

> hello, everyone! so those of you who follow my fics know that i've been friends with alandcapon/baronpuddinsplace on tumblr and a some of the fics i've written have been his fault. so he and I have decided to collab together for this fic. i will be writing it and he will be illustrating it. this is an au we've discussed a lot-and by that i mean we've been screaming about it to each other for the past three days. we're both super excited for this project and i really hope that you enjoy it as much as we are. all of our stuff about it will be available on tumblr on our respective tumblrs. come and join us in screaming about this au. please.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello, everyone! so those of you who follow my fics know that i've been friends with alandcapon/baronpuddinsplace on tumblr and a some of the fics i've written have been his fault. so he and I have decided to collab together for this fic. i will be writing it and he will be illustrating it. this is an au we've discussed a lot-and by that i mean we've been screaming about it to each other for the past three days. we're both super excited for this project and i really hope that you enjoy it as much as we are. all of our stuff about it will be available on tumblr on our respective tumblrs. come and join us in screaming about this au. please.

“…and may their souls find eternal peace with Karma in the great den above. Amen.”  
  
Gideon Grey blinked when he felt the priest put a paw on his shoulder, blinking blank blue eyes up at the older fox. The priest gave his shoulder a squeeze. “Would you like to say anything, son?”  
  
The kit shook his head, his paws in fists at his sides as he stared down at the ground. What could he possible have to say? His parents were gone. He was alone now.  
  
The sheriff had told him that it was a freak accident, that it wasn’t anyone’s fault. He wasn’t stupid. He knew that Pa was always drinking, was always drunk. His Ma was the quiet type, never complained and never tried to speak up against her husband. Not even when he started hitting her…or hitting him…  
  
He didn’t know how he was supposed to feel right now. He hadn’t cried yet, that would be stupid and no one needed to see him cry. Travis would make fun of him if he did, anyhow. And he didn’t want the other boys at school to have any more reasons to pick on him.  
  
The priest made him stand by the caskets as some mammals came up to him and told him how sorry they were about this, that they were thinking about him and praying for him, yada yada. He didn’t try to resist any of the handshakes or the few awkward hugs that were given to him. None of this felt right, he was only twelve, he didn’t know what he was supposed to be doing!  
  
It wasn’t until he watched the caskets get put into the ground that it really hit him. He was alone now. He didn’t have anyone.  
  
“We called yer gramma, she said she would come get ya,” the sheriff told him later that afternoon as the crowd finally started to disperse. “Ya want me to stick around until she does?”  
  
Gid shook his head at the old billy goat, clasping his paws behind his back. “Naw, it’s fine.”  
  
The sheriff nodded and hesitated before patting his head. “Don’t go gettin’ into any trouble, now.” But it was said in a serious tone that just made Gideon sigh. He guessed he deserved that.  
  
A few mammals were still hanging around, big rabbit families who were taking this time to visit the graves of their relatives who had passed. Among them were the Hopps’, who he’d been really surprised to see. The family had avoided him for the most since he had scratched up Judy’s face three years ago…Pa had beaten him real good when he had found out about that.  
  
_“Do ya even know how much trouble ya’ve caused me?! What if they’d called the police, huh?! Or the sheriff?! I can’t afford ta keep ya outta jail, ya fuckin’ punk!”_  
  
Gid huffed and walked away from the graveyard, going to the main gate and sitting down to wait for his grandma. He pulled his legs up to his chest, resting his arms on his knees and his chin on his arms. He rested his tail on his feet as he stared out at the road, feeling cold…and empty.  
  
It was terrible to say, but he wasn’t sad that his Pa was gone. Gerald Grey had been a mean son of a bitch with a drinking habit and a nasty temper. He’d made Gideon’s life hell since he was about four, beating him and telling him over and over that he would never be good for anything. He always pounded into his head that prey thought that they were better than them, that they were weak and he could never show any weakness to anyone. Pa was the reason he always tried to act tough, because if you didn’t act tough then you’d get hurt…and Pa had hurt him plenty.  
  
But Ma…  
  
Ma had been beautiful and kind, just the smartest mammal he had ever met. Vixie Grey had been one-of-a-kind, always taking care of him and coming to get him when he got in trouble. She’d always told him that he could be more than what Pa said, that if he tried he could be anything. Ma was just…she’d just…  
  
“Hey, are you okay?”  
  
Gideon jerked and his head snapped over to see the source of the interruption of his broodings. He had to look up and he scowled when he saw who it was. “Whadda ya want, bunny?”  
  
Judy Hopps stood beside, staring down at him with those big violet of hers and her nose twitching. She was wearing a black dress that looked a little too big for her, her too-big-for-her-head ears flopping at the ends a little bit. All in all, she looked kinda silly and if he had been in a better mood he probably would have made fun of her for it.  
  
But he wasn’t, and right now he just wanted her to go away.  
  
She didn’t get the hint though. She just continued to look at him, her head tilted to one side which made her stupid big ears flop a little more. “I just wanna know if you’re okay.”  
  
“Yeah, I’m fine,” he grumbled, looking away from her and back out at the road, resting his chin on his arms once more. “I’m jus’ waitin’ for my granny. Why don’tcha go back over to yer stupid big family, leave me alone.” Maybe she would leave now.  
  
But of course she didn’t. She sat down beside him, crossing her legs and pulling her dress down to cover her knees. It was so big on her and it looked really funny, and he kind of wished he was back to his old self so that he could make fun of her and make her hate him again so that she would just go. But he couldn’t bring himself to say anything so he just scooted away from her, wrapping his tail tighter around himself as he glared out at the road. Where was his granny, anyways?  
  
She didn’t say anything else for a while and he was glad for the silence. He didn’t know what they would talk about, he hadn’t spoken to her since that day at the fair when he’d messed up her face. He remembered how embarrassed he’d been later on when he had discovered that he no longer had those tickets…and how he’d also been a little impressed, not that he would ever admit it.  
  
“I’m sorry about your parents.” Of course she couldn’t just let things be.  
  
He sighed as he wrapped his arms a little tighter around his legs. “’s fine. Ain’t nothin’ you can do.”  
  
“Have you cried yet?”  
  
“Cryin’s fer babies. I ain’t no baby.”  
  
“My mom said you’d probably be crying today. I told her you wouldn’t.” She looked at him, her nose twitching.  
  
“Well ain’t you just lil miss smarty pants,” he shot back at her, his eyes narrowing and his lip curling to show her his teeth. Why was she still there??  
  
She just kept looking at him and it was starting to piss him off. He opened his mouth to yell at her when she suddenly said, “You know, it’s okay to be upset.”  
  
He blinked at her. “What?”  
  
“It’s okay if you cry. Your parents are dead, that’s really awful. I’m really sorry.” She reached into the pocket of her dress—the thing even had pockets, how big was it??—and pulled out a handkerchief, holding it out to him. “It’s okay if you cry. I promise I won’t tell anyone.”  
  
He didn’t know why this small, insignificant action got to him. It shouldn’t have. He should have laughed in her face and pushed her over, called her a dumb bunny and told her to leave him alone.  
  
Maybe it was the look on her face, how her lips were barely turned up in a sympathetic smile. Maybe it was how her eyes shined at him, how he could see that she was starting to tear up as well. Maybe it was how her stupid big ears flopped down her back, making her look even more sad for him.  
  
Whatever it was, it got to him.  
  


Gideon felt his eyes well up, even as he blinked fiercely to try to keep them away. His snout scrunched up and his nose started to feel runny. He snatched the hankie from her and clenched it in his fist as he buried his face in his arms, trying to hide the fact that he was crying now. His body shook from the force of the sobs he held in and he started to rock back and forth.  
  
He felt her paw on his back, rubbing in long gentle circles through his shirt. His claws dug into the material of his pants as he shuddered, his eyes shut tight.  
  
_“Why are ya cryin’? Quit it, you ain’t a baby no more! Grow up, ya retard!”_  
  
Pa would have yelled, he would have screamed at him, slapped him until he had to run. Ma would have hugged him close, pushed his face into her skirts to try keep his sounds at bay so that Pa wouldn’t hear him.  
  
But Judy…  
  
She didn’t say anything, didn’t do anything other than sit there beside him and let him cry as she gently rubbed his back. She scooted closer to him and wrapped her arm around his shoulders, resting her cheek against side as she let him cry.  
  
After a few minutes his trembling went away, and his weeping turned into mere sniffles. He lifted his head and put the hankie to his nose, blowing into before wiping his eyes with his sleeve. Judy pulled her arm away and clasped her paws in her lap, just looking at him with a sad smile. It looked like she had been crying, too. Bunnies, they were all so emotional…  
  
“Ya won’t tell no one, right?”  
  
“I said I wouldn’t, didn’t I?”  
  
He looked at the hankie, now covered with his snot. He felt his ears grow warm. “Sorry.”  
  
“It’s fine, you can keep it. I have more at my house.” She smiled again before looking at the road. “Hey, is that your grandma?”  
  
Gideon looked up to see an old blue truck pull up. The door opened and out stepped an older-looking vixen in a grey dress. She saw him and made her way over to him.  
  
He nodded. “I think so.” He glanced over at the bunny. “Thanks again…ya know, for everythin’.”  
  
She smiled and stood up, brushing off the back of her dress. “It’s fine. Like I said, it’s okay to be upset.” She reached out her paw to him.  
  
He stared at it before slowly reaching up to grasp it in his own. Her paw was so much smaller than his, and softer…he always forgot that bunnies didn’t have pawpads. He let her pull him to his feet, amazed not for the first time by how much stronger she was than she looked. He turned his head to see his grandma standing in front of them, looking down at him. He hung his head, shoving his paws in his pockets. “Hi, Granny.”  
  
“Hello, Gideon.” The vixen reached out to wrap her arm around his shoulder, pulling him to her side. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be here earlier.”  
  
“’salright.” He glanced over at Judy.  
  
The bunny smiled at his grandma. “Hello, ma’am. I’m Judy Hopps.”  
  
“Yes, I remember you. You can just call me Petra.” The vixen smiled politely at her. “Thank you for keeping my grandson company.”  
  
“It wasn’t any trouble.” Judy turned to go but then reached out to grab Gideon’s sleeve. “Remember what I said, okay?”  
  
“Okay.” He nodded. “I’ll wash yer hankie for ya.”  
  
“I told you to keep it, silly. I’ll see you at school?”  
  
“Yeah…”  
  
She gave him a big smile before skipping back over to her family, leaving him to stare after her. It was weird…he’d been feeling so crummy earlier and now he felt a lot better…a lot lighter. He clenched his fist around her hankie, holding it to his chest.  
  
_Weird…_  
  
Petra patted his back and started to lead him over to her truck. “It’s going to be alright now.” She opened the door and lifted him up to place him in the seat. She buckled him in before looking sternly at him. “No one can hurt you anymore.” Then she closed the door and went over to the driver’s side.  
  
Gideon stared out the window, watching the crowds of bunnies still gathered in the graveyard. Out of all of them he could pick Judy out, could see her black-tipped ears standing up and how she tugged at one of her sister’s sleeves. He could just barely make out the smile on her lips, just barely see the shine of her violet eyes. He started when she suddenly turned his way and waved. He waved back, hesitant, unsure.  
  
“She seems nice,” Petra commented as she started up the truck.  
  
“Yeah…she’s nice.”  
  
As they drove off, Gideon could feel…something in his chest. A tightness, a longing, a desire. He knew he didn’t want to be like his Pa was, he didn’t want to end up mean and hated by everyone in town. He didn’t want to be like that…  
  
The kit closed his eyes and rested his head against the window. He was so tired…he just wanted to sleep and forget about this day.  
  
_Well…not all of it._

* * *

“What were you doing over there by Gideon Grey, little bug?” Angelica Hopps wrapped her arms around her sister, pulling her close and nuzzling her ears with her nose.

  
“He was sad and he looked so lonely, Angie, I couldn’t just leave him over there by himself.” Judy looked up at her sister, her nose twitching as her eyes begged her to understand.  
  
The teen sighed and ruffled her fur before letting her go. “You’re too kind for your own good, bug. It’ll get you in trouble one of these days.”  
  
Judy laughed as she turned her head to watch the blue truck pull away from the graveyard. She raised her paw to wave at Gideon, just barely able to make him out in the window. She felt her spirits raise when she saw him wave back, and she couldn’t keep a smile from forming on her lips.  
  
_He’ll be okay…I just know it._

 


	2. In a Photograph

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've actually had this chapter written for a few days, but we decided it would be best to wait a few days to post it, what with the crazy going on in my country (elections, man). but I'm super excited to share this chapter with you guys. it's really cute, I mean just really cute. I'm really enjoying writing for children. though just a heads up, at about chapter nine or so the rating is going to change to M. There won't be any super hardcore M elements, but with the themes that are coming the rating is needed. but until then, you get cute awkward babs. so enjoy.

“Gideon Grey hasn’t been in school.”  
  
“He’s probably still recovering from the funeral, hun bun.”  
  
Judy frowned as she propped her elbows on the kitchen table, resting her chin on her paws with a huff. “But it’s been a week, Mom. A whole week! He said he’d be at school.” She glared down at the table which was so clean she could make out her reflection. She scowled at her own face, her nose wrinkling as she fought the urge to stick out her tongue.  
  
_Stupid table. Stupid Gideon Grey._  
  
_…stupid me._  
  
“I’m sure he’ll come back to school when he’s ready.” Bonnie patted her daughter on the head, which made her pout up at the doe. “You really shouldn’t work yourself up over him. He’s just a fox.”  
  
“His parents died, that’s a really sad thing!” she protested, feeling a surge of…was that anger? For Gideon Grey?  
  
“You’re right, it is, I’m sorry,” Bonnie quickly apologized, her paws raising. “But there really isn’t much we can do for them. Death takes time to get over, Judy.”  
  
“Yeah…” Her ears popped up as an idea came into her head, splitting her lips in a huge grin. “But food can help comfort them! Mom, will you help me make something for the Greys?”  
  
“Now, what would you want to do that for?” Her mom had her hands on her hips, giving her daughter a skeptical look.  
  
“Because it’s the right thing to do.” Judy stuck her lower lip out, giving her best impression of a sad puppy dog. “Pleeeeeeaaaaaase?”  
  
The two does had a stare down for a few moments before Bonnie relented, sighing and going over to wrap her arms around her daughter. “Alright, hun bun. If it’ll make you happy.” She gave her a stern look. “But I want you to take some repellent with you when you go over there. And you call us if you feel even a little bit uncomfortable.” She pet Judy’s ears. “Remember what he did to your face.”  
  
“That was three years ago, mom. Mammals can change.” Judy stepped away from her mother, a little miffed by her words. She wasn’t a baby anymore, she was twelve years old, she could take care of herself!  
  
“Still, I want you to be careful, Judy. Just because he’s sad doesn’t mean he isn’t dangerous.”  
  
“Yes, mom.” Judy rolled her eyes before going over to the refrigerator. “Now, I was thinking we could bring them some kind of casserole…”

* * *

It took a lot of convincing and promises to get her parents to let her go to the Greys’ house by herself. Her dad had made her take fox repellent with her which she stuffed into the back pocket of her skirt with a huff. She agreed to call them if anything happened and had left the burrow before they tried to say anything else.  
  
Luckily for her, the Greys’ only lived about a mile down the road from them. And so, armed with a bag that had a potato and cheese casserole, some rolls, and a salad in it, Judy made her way down the road, humming softly to herself as she walked. Bunnyburrow consisted of mostly farms with a few houses in between. Anyone who didn’t farm worked at the little businesses in town, like the grocery store or the bank or the one diner they had. It was a very small town, where everyone knew everyone and was in their business.  
  
And she couldn’t wait until she was older and could get out of there. Go to Zootopia and be the first bunny police officer. She smiled as she thought about it, kicking up some dirt as she started to skip.  
  
She arrived at their home, which was little more than a trailer. Just a one-story thing, with a porch and a mailbox. Their driveway was definitely not as long as her parents’ was. It was so…quaint. That was the only word she could think of to describe it.  
  
Judy squared her shoulders and started to make her way over to the stairs when the door opened, revealing Petra in a yellow dress uniform. She was calling over her shoulder as she adjusted her purse on her arm.  
  
“Now Gid, I made some sandwiches for you to have for lunch today, don’t forget to eat. Drink plenty of water, too. And DON’T be late for your doctor’s appointment, I’ll know if you are.” She turned around and looked startled when she a bunny standing in front of their house. “Oh, hello.”  
  
“Hi, ma’am.” Judy put on her best smile, hopping up the steps to stand in front of the vixen. “I hope this isn’t a bad time.”  
  
“Actually,” Petra glanced over her shoulder then back to her, “it’s not at all. I was just heading to work but I’m sure Gideon could use the company. He’s been cooped up in this house all by himself.” She glanced at the bag. “What do you have there?”  
  
Judy held it out, a big smile on her face. “Me and my mom made a casserole for you guys!”  
  
Petra smiled warmly as she gazed down at her. “Well, that was very thoughtful of you. Thank you, Miss Hopps.”  
  
Judy felt the insides of her ears get warm as she waved away the gratitude. “It was nothing, really. Gideon hasn’t been at school and—”  
  
“You were worried about him?”  
  
She blinked at the question in the tone. “Well…yeah. I mean, he just looked so sad at the funeral…” Had this all been a bad idea? Should she have not come? She felt sweat form on the back of her neck as her nose started to twitch.  
  
The older vixen just continued to stare down at her until someone cleared their throat behind her. Judy glanced to the side and saw Gideon standing in the doorway, one paw shoved into the pocket of his pants while the other gripped the wooden pane. “Don’t you need to get goin’, Granny?”  
  
She glanced at her watch and nodded, gently brushing past Judy and hurrying down the stairs towards her truck. “Remember what I said! Don’t be late!” She got into the truck and drove away, dirt flying up as she went.  
  
Judy watched her go before turning her eyes back to Gideon, who seemed to be trying to look anywhere except at her. Her heart went out to him; her nose starting to twitch again. “Where does she work?”  
  
“At the diner in the next town over,” the fox kit mumbled, and she knew if not for the size of her ears she probably would have missed it.  
  
“That’s kinda a long drive.”  
  
He just shrugged, shoving both of his paws into his front pockets. There was an awkward silence between them before she mustered up the courage to try to talk again.  
  
“S-so, you have to go to the doctor? What for? Are you sick?”  
  
“Nope.” Silence again.  
  
She cleared her throat. “C-can I—can I come in?”  
  
She watched as a sigh lifted his shoulders and for a moment she worried that he was going to turn her away, but instead he stepped back into the house and opened the door a little wider for her. She smiled and stepped inside, wiping her feet on the rug before taking a look around.  
  
It was simply furnished, a couch and a recliner with a decent sized television in the living room. She could turn her head the other way and see the kitchen, which looked like a much smaller version of the kitchen in her house. If she looked directly ahead she could see a hallway where she assumed their rooms and maybe a bathroom was. It was small, it was quaint, it was…rather homey. She liked it.  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a tug on her bag and she instinctively pulled it back against her. Her eyes shot up to meet with Gideon’s and she realized with some embarrassment that he had been the one to pull on the bag. She grinned sheepishly and held it out to him. “Ah…I brought a casserole. Potato and cheese. I-I wasn’t sure what you ate.”  
  
“Ma used to make a lot o’ veggie dishes.” He shrugged as he took the bag from her, making his way over to the kitchen.  
  
She followed him, feeling the coolness of the tile on her footpaws. “I’m really sorry about what happened to her, and your pa.”  
  
He just shrugged, setting the bag on the counter and pulling out the contents in it. “Like I said b’fore, ain’t nothin’ you can do ‘bout it.”  
  
“Still…” She bit her lip as she watched him, feeling a little useless since she didn’t know where anything was and she wasn’t sure he would tell her if she asked. “I, uh…I didn’t see your Granny at the funeral.”  
  
He tensed. “She wasn’t there.”  
  
“I wonder why…” She hadn’t meant to say that out loud.  
  
Gideon huffed as he opened the containers, with a little more force than necessary. “She ‘n’ my pa never got along. She prob’ly didn’t care all that much.” He glanced at her with a scowl before turning to the food again. “Anyhow, it ain’t none o’ yer beeswax.”  
  
“Geez, fine, sorry I asked.” She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, taking a look around the kitchen. Her eyes landed on some pictures held onto the refrigerator by magnets and she went over to look, her ears perking up. “Is this your mom?”  
  
He glanced over to see what she was looking at. “Yeah.”  
  
“She’s pretty.”  
  
“Yeah…”  
  
“She looks so young, like your granny.” There were a few more pictures of Vixie, along with some of a very young Gideon looking into the camera and smiling. He looked so cute…she pushed that thought out of her head. Where had that even come from?  
  
She looked over the pictures again and couldn’t help but notice that while there were plenty of Gideon and Vixie, there were none of his father. She could only remember meeting the fox once, at some school event, but she would never forget his cold blue eyes, how he looked like he was ready to fight anyone who tried to stand in his way. Everyone about him had demanded immediate and unquestionable respect, and he had scared her.  
  
She wondered if that was why Petra hadn’t liked him…  
  
She heard Gideon clear his throat and she turned around to stare at him, her nose twitching again. He was staring at the casserole, having opened up the container it was in. “Looks good. Should I, uh…do anything with it?”  
  
She snapped out of her daze, padding over to him. “My mom said we could stick it in the oven for a bit, like fifteen minutes.” She took it from him and went over to their oven, leaning up on her tippy-toes as she tried to reach the knobs. They were just too tall for her to reach.  
  
She heard Gideon chuckle and heard him make his way over to her. “Here, lemme.” He reached up from behind her to turn the knob and set the timer. He took the dish from her and opened the oven, setting it inside and closing the door. He set the timer before making his way back over to the counter, getting up on a stool to grab some plates.  
  
Judy hurried after him. “Let me help.”

* * *

Gideon stared down at the bunny as she looked up at him, her expression all eager and her nose twitching. Her stupid big ears fell over and she reached up to push them back up, bouncing on her footpaws. “Let me help,” she insisted, her big dumb eyes shining.  
  
He gulped silently and turned away, feeling his ears heating up and feeling irritated because he didn’t understand why. “Yeah, sure, whatever. You can, uh, you can help set the table.” He passed the plates down to her and she skipped over to the table, setting them there before looking for the napkins. He got some silverware and handed that to her, too. It seemed to make her happy so he wasn’t going to complain.  
  
Honestly, he didn’t even know why she was here. Sure, she had let him cry at the funeral but that’s where he had expected the kindness to end. He had been ass to her for years, why would she keep being so nice to him? He had scratched up her face, he knew she still had scars, so….why was she here? Why had she brought him food? Why—  
  
“Hey, what’s this?”  
  
He was broken out of his thoughts by her voice, and he glanced over to see her picking up a notebook from the table. He felt his ears turn bright red as he scrambled off the stool, running oer to her. “Ah, i-it’s nothin’, really!”  
  
She was looking at it now, his stupid little doodle he had been doing before she had arrived. It was just a dumb thing, a doodle of a pie with a stupid smiley face on it. He fought the urge to cover his face with his paws, readying himself for the laughter that was sure to come.  
  
Except it didn’t. She smiled warmly at it before looking at him with that same smile on her stupid face. “This is really good! Did you draw it?”  
  
“Y-yeah.” He stuck his paws in his pockets as he kicked at the tile, feeling his skin flush hot under his fur. But…it was a good kind of feeling. A nice kind of feeling that left his chest and his body feeling warm and full.  
  
She grinned as she flipped through the notebook, and he didn’t stop her. The smile on her face kept getting bigger and bigger, and the warm feeling in his chest just kept on growing. The doodles were nothing extravagant, mostly just pictures of food with faces on them, some of them having little arms and legs. But she really seemed to like them and…it made him feel really good.  
  
“You drew all of these?”  
  
“Uh-huh.”  
  
She looked up at him, her violet eyes glowing. “Will you draw me something?”  
  
He blinked and started, not having expected that. “Uh…whaddaya want me ta draw?”  
  
Judy thought about it for a moment before her face lit up again. “Can you draw me a carrot?”  
  
Gideon nodded, taking the notebook from her and sitting down at the table. He grabbed his pencil and flipped it open to a blank page and got to work.  
  
  
  
She pulled up a chair and plopped herself down beside him, watching his paws work with careful strokes. “You’re really good at this.”  
  
“Thanks.”  
  
“Do you always draw deserts?”  
  
“Most o’ the time, yeah.”  
  
“What’s your favorite?”  
  
“Rhubarb pie, like my granny makes. Ma used ta make ‘em, too. I think she got the recipe from Granny.”  
  
“She seems really nice, your granny.”  
  
Gideon glanced over at her, taking notice of how her stupid big ears were flopped over at the ends. It really did make her look silly. “Yeah, I guess she’s nice.” He shrugged before turning his attention back to his drawing.  
  
“I didn’t catch her last name. I always feel weird calling adults by their first names, my mom says it’s rude.” She was kicking her legs now, he could feel the vibrations from under the table. Normally that kind of thing would piss him off, but with her he found that he didn’t mind so much.  
  
“Renard. Her name’s Petra Renard.”  
  
“That’s really pretty. Everyone in your family has pretty names.”  
  
He paused. Did that mean she thought his name was pretty? He certainly wasn’t going to ask. “I guess so.” He finished the drawing and carefully tore the page out of his notebook before handing it to her. “Here ya go.”  
  
“Really?” She looked down at it then back at him, her eyes shining again. It made his stomach feel weird. “Thank you! I’ll put it on my wall when I get home.”  
  
“Ya don’t have ta do that, it’s not that good.” Was it getting warmer in here or was it just him?  
  
“Yes, it is. You shouldn’t sell yourself short.” She gave him a stern look before carefully folding the picture and putting it in her back pocket.  
  
“Yeah…I guess you’re right.” He smiled at her and she smiled at him, and the first time in a while he found that he felt…content.  
  
Then the timer on the stove beeped, startling them out of the moment. Gid watched as Judy pushed her ears down before he looked away, clearing his throat. “I, uh, better get that.” He got up and hurried over to the stove, trying to figure out why his heart was beating so hard.

* * *

What was that?  
  
Judy watched as Gideon made his way back over to the oven, her paw pressed to her chest as if she could calm her heartbeat that way. It was just the timer, it had startled her, that was all. She repeated that over and over in her head, refusing to believe anything else. Because anything else was just…silly.  
  
“Smells good,” he commented, which knocked her out of her thoughts as she looked over at him. He was taking the dish out of the oven with some oven mitts and she couldn’t help but notice how natural it seemed for him to be in the kitchen. He made his way back over, setting the dish on the table.  
  
She started. “OH! Hold on!” She hopped down and ran back over to the bag and pulled out the rolls, hurrying back over to him. “Here, I had my mom pack these too. They’re homemade.”  
  
He blinked at her. “Oh. Thanks.”  
  
The two ate in silence, only speaking up to comment on the food. When they were done, Gideon went to clean up and Judy hopped up to help him. They got the dishes done in a good amount of time.  
  
“Do you, uh, need ta take this back?”  
  
“No, you can just give the containers back once you’ve eaten it all.”  
  
“I don’t ever see ya.”  
  
“You’ll see me at school.” She blinked at him. “You are coming back to school, right?” He wasn’t just going to leave, was he? Why did she care?  
  
He stared at her for a moment before nodding. “Yeah. I’m comin’ back this Monday.”  
  
She smiled, relief flooding her heart. She decided not to question it.  
  
Gideon glanced at the clock and his ears laid back on his head. “Aw, hell, I better get goin’. Granny wasn’t kiddin’ when she said that she’d know if I was late to the doctor’s.” He hurried down the hall as she grabbed the bag, now empty of its contents. She slipped it onto her shoulder as he came back, shoving something into his pocket.  
  
“How are you getting there? Do you have a ride?” Judy tilted her head at him, a little concerned now.  
  
“Nah, I just ride my bike.” They both stepped out of the house, the fox kit making sure to lock it behind them. They walked down the porch steps to where his bike was leaned against the house. He grabbed hold of the handlebars and hesitated before turning to her. “Do you, uh, want me to walk you back home b’fore I go?”  
  
She shook her head, unable to hold back a smile at the gesture. Who knew that Gideon Grey could be so sweet? “No, but thank you. You don’t wanna be late for your appointment.”  
  
He nodded and mounted the bike, kicking up the stand. He fished something out of his jacket pocket and held it out to her. “Here.”  
  
She stared it the object in his hand. It was her handkerchief, the one she had given to him at the funeral. She looked back at him. “I told you to keep it.”  
  
“And I said I would wash it for ya. And I did. So here.” He pushed it into her paws, not waiting for her answer. “And…thanks again. For everythin’.”  
  
  
  
“It really isn’t any problem.” She grabbed his arm before he could bike off, making him look at her. He really had such pretty blue eyes…she quickly shook it away. “So you’re really coming back to school? You’re not lying this time?”  
  
He ducked his head, pushing his bangs back. “I didn’t mean ta lie last time. Sorry. But yeah, I’m comin’ back. On Monday.”  
  
“Good.” She nodded, satisfied with his answer. She gave him a smile. “So, see you Monday.”  
  
“Yeah.” He glanced at her and gave her a small smile back. “See ya.” Then he took off on his bike.  
  
She watched him go then turned to head home, a warm feeling spreading in her chest and belly.  
  
Who knew that Gideon Grey could be so sweet?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leave a comment or kudos if you'd like. visit me and Andy on our respective tumblrs, mama-sally.tumblr.com and baronpuddinsplace.tumblr.com. thank you to everyone who is supporting us on this project, it really means a lot. we'll see you next time!  
> 


	3. Everybody Loses It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> are you all ready for an emotional ride? no? me either. and I wrote this! we're slowly getting into the real meat of this story. also I feel like I should add a warning because shit goes DOWN. like people get beat up. so now you've been warned. thank you again, so much, to everyone who is supporting Andy and I on this project, it really means a lot. we mean for this to become like our magnum opus of fanfics lol. anyways, here you go!

“So, how have you been feeling, Gideon?”  
  
The blue-eyed boy glanced up at the brown and white bovine staring kindly at him, shifting in his seat a little as he clasped his paws in his lap. “I’m…okay, I guess. I mean, as okay as I can be after ev’rythin’.” He twiddled his thumbs, staring down at the carpeted floor.  
  
The therapist nodded, glancing down at her clipboard before looking back at him. “How is living with your grandma? Do you like her?”  
  
“I guess?” He shrugged, not sure what to say. He felt awkward being here, even if it was only his third visit. “I mean, she’s pretty nice, and she makes really good pie.”  
  
The cow nodded, still smiling at him. “That’s what grandmas are for, right? Spoiling their grandkits with sweets and affection.”  
  
Gideon shifted in his seat again, not really willing to say anything more about Granny.  
  
Dr. Holstein seemed to understand this and instead changed the subject. “So, you go back to school next week. Are you excited about it?”  
  
Once more he shrugged, biting the inside of his cheek. “I dunno. I don’t really got any reason ta be.”  
  
“Any friends you’re excited about seeing?”  
  
Judy’s face popped into his mind, the smile she’d made when he’d given her the stupid drawing of the carrot. How her eyes had been shining and her stupid big ears were perked straight up. How happy she had been…  
  
“Maybe,” he muttered, feeling the insides of his ears getting warm. He kicked his legs back and forth, reaching his fingers down to bunch up the cushion on the seat he was sitting on. “There…there’s actually this girl at school.”  
  
“Do you like her?”  
  
His eyes snapped up to stare at the bovine. “What? Ew, no, she’s a rabbit, that’s stupid.” He ignored the way his heart sped up, just a bit. “She’s just…she’s been really nice to me. She was at the funeral and sat with me ‘till Granny came. And she came over t’day, with a casserole. She said…she said she was worried ‘bout me…”  
  
“You seem unsure about that. Can you tell me why?”  
  
Gideon bit his lip, staring at the floor again. “It jus’…it don’t make no sense. I was never real nice to her b’fore. I mean, I scratched up her face a few years ago and her and her family have avoided me ever since.” He shrugged, letting his shoulders go limp with defeat. “It just…it don’t make sense. She’s just so nice and I’m…not.”  
  
Dr. Holstein leaned forward, resting her chin on her hoof. “Now why do you say that? From what I’ve seen, you’re a sweet boy, Gideon Grey. You just have some anger issues, but you’re here to help work them out. And if someone so sweet wants to be your friend, then I say let her. It could be good for you.”  
  
“But…what if I’m not good for her?” he whispered, mostly to himself.  
  
But she heard him.  
  
“Isn’t that for her to decide?” The cow smiled at him again and leaned back up, grabbing her pen. “You shouldn’t let yourself be alone, Gideon. It’s good to have friends.”  
  
“Pa never had friends,” he frowned, his eyes narrowing. “And he was a mean son of a—”  
  
“Language.”  
  
“…gun. Son of a gun.” He grinned at her sheepishly before staring back down at the carpet. “But I don’t wanna end up like Pa. I don’t wanna be like him.”  
  
“Well, that’s for you to decide.” She glanced at the clock then stood up, clasping her clipboard in her hooves. “I’m afraid that’s all the time we have for today.”  
  
Gideon slid off the chair, brushing his shorts off before stuffing his paws into his pockets. “Granny said she’d call ya ‘bout next week, since I’m startin’ school again.”  
  
She nodded as she lead him over to the door, opening it and smiling down at him. “Then I will see you some time next day. Same day?”  
  
He nodded and went to leave.  
  
“Good luck at school!” she called him, causing him to pause.  
  
He looked over his shoulder at her, taking in her kind smile and open expression. She really meant it, she wasn’t just saying that. It was still amazing to him that there were mammals who genuinely cared about him.  
  
He smiled and nodded at her. “Thanks.” Then he turned back around, heading out.

* * *

Monday came faster than he had expected but Gideon was ready to get out of the house. Being cooped up with just Granny for company was really starting to get to him, making him feel on edge and anxious. So when it was time for school he was almost dashing out of the house.  
  
“Now, are you sure you have everything?” Granny called after him as he ran to grab his bike.  
  
“Yeah,” he called back, kicking up the kick stand.  
  
“Do you have your lunch?”  
  
“Yes, Granny.”  
  
“Do you have your books?”  
  
“Yes, Granny.”  
  
“Do you have the Tupperware to give back to Judy?”  
  
He paused on that one, trying to remember if he had grabbed those. He shifted his backpack and felt them moving against his back. He nodded. “Yeah, I got ‘em.”  
  
The vixen hesitated then made her way down the steps to stand by him. He tried not to cringe away when she wrapped her arms around him from behind, reaching to smooth down one side of the fur on his head. “Just…do me a favor? Stay out of trouble today. I don’t want you to get hurt.”  
  
“I can take care of myself,” he retorted, ducking down under her hold and moving away from her, taking his bike with him. “I’m not a baby.”  
  
“I know, I know. Just…” He glanced back at her and almost felt bad for moving away when she started to fiddle with the edge of her shirt. “Please. Be careful today.”  
  
They stared at each other for a few moments, blue meeting blue, concern meeting indifference. He fought the urge to frown, to ask her why she cared so much, she hadn’t even been at the funeral, she didn’t even know him—he shook all of that away. Not now.  
  
“Yeah, sure,” he grunted, mounting his bike and kicking off. “See ya after school.” Then he was peddling down the road, hurrying off before she tried to say anything else. He didn’t want to hear it. She didn’t even know him…  
  
School wasn’t that far away, only about two miles. It was faster to ride his bike than to walk, so he was there pretty early. He chained his bike up at the side of the school before heading in, keeping his head down and his eyes averted. He could hear some whispers from the kids around him, and his sharp ears caught a few of their words.  
  
“…parents died…”  
  
“…bully…”  
  
“…deserved it…”  
  
He grit his teeth as he headed to his locker, putting in the combination to his lock and opening it up. He stashed his books there, along with his lunch, but paused before he could take out the Tupperware. He wasn’t sure what to do with it, if he should try to find her now or wait until after school to hunt her down.  
  
Fate had already decided that for him, however.  
  
“Hey!”  
  
He almost dropped his book bag from fright, whirling around to snarl at whoever had dared to sneak up on him. Only to stop when he saw who it was.  
  
Judy Hopps stood beside his locker, a huge smile on her face as she looked at him, bouncing on her toes. “You’re back!”  
  
He just blinked and nodded at her, not understanding what she was so happy about. “Yeah. I told ya I was comin’ back today.”  
  
“I know, I just…” She shook her head, her stupid big ears flopping around. She looked up at him, her violet eyes shining. “I’m just really glad to see you again, is all.”  
  
Why? He wanted to ask, but found that when he opened his mouth, he couldn’t. He turned his face away from her, trying to fight back the blush rising in his ears. He reached into his backpack and pulled out the containers, holding them out to her. “Here ya go. We washed ‘em for ya.”  
  
She took them from him and stuck them into her book bag before turning her eyes to him once more. “So, how have you been?”  
  
He shrugged. “Fine, I guess.”  
  
She nodded with a smile. “Good. I’m glad.”  
  
They stared at each other for a few moments, her nose twitching and his ears pointed towards her. Had she been worried again? Had she gotten home safely the other night? Why had she sought him out? These were the questions he wanted to ask her, and he almost opened his mouth to do so when—  
  
“Yo! Grey!”  
  
They both jumped this time, Judy clutching her bag to her chest and Gideon taking a few steps back away from her. He glanced over his shoulder to see Travis waving at him, a grin on the ferret’s face. He waved back before turning back to the bunny. “I’ll see ya ‘round, okay?” He slung his backpack over his shoulder and closed his locker before heading over to his friend.  
  
Travis greeted him with a high five and a punch to the shoulder which held a little more force than necessary, but Gideon kept from wincing. “Hey, man, good to have ya back! Ain’t been the same withoutcha.”  
  
“It’s good to be back.” And it was, it really was. He could finally go back to being the old him.  
  
Except…  
  
He glanced over his shoulder at Judy, who was just staring after him with her nose twitching and her stupid big ears flopping at the ends, making her look so sad…he shook the thought out of his head, turning away. No, he wasn’t like her. They were in two different worlds. He grinned at Travis.  
  
“So. Anythin’ excitin’ happen while I was gone?”  
  
The ferret proceeded to fill him in on everything he had missed as they walked away, though Gideon couldn’t help but steal one last glance at Judy. She was being lead away by her friends now, her easy smile back on her face.  
  
_She looks better when she smiles…_  
  
He forced the thought out of his head. There was no way that he and Judy Hopps could ever be friends.  
  
…right?

* * *

“Judy, what were ya doin’, talkin’ to that Gideon Grey?” Sharla asked her friend, her eyes wide with concern.  
  
“I just wanted to make sure he’s okay,” Judy told the sheep, glancing over her shoulder one last time at the fox kit. She could feel her heart sinking as she watched him walk off with Travis and his gang. She had been so sure…so sure that he was going to change after the funeral. His Granny was so nice, and he had been so sweet to her at his house…had it all really just meant…nothing?  
  
No.  
  
She squared her shoulders as she smiled at her friends, taking Sharla’s hoof and leading her down the hall. “C’mon, we don’t want to be late for class.” She smiled, refusing to let this get her down.  
  
Gideon Grey had changed, she just knew it. She could see it in his eyes. Maybe he wasn’t ready to accept it, but she was so sure that she wasn’t wrong. And she would be there when he did. Because she wasn’t ready to give up on the boy who had drawn her a carrot, which she had promptly gone home and hung up on her wall like she had told him she was going to. Gideon Grey wasn’t just some bully or the fox who had scratched her face. He was lonely…and he was different.  
  
Judy kept her eye on him during class, watching as he doodled in his notebook and unable to keep the grin off of her muzzle. Was he drawing more of those pictures, like the ones she had seen before? Every time Travis would nudge him and smirk at someone or at the teacher, Gid would just offer a half-hearted grin before going back to his notebook.  
  
_It’s a start,_ she thought, turning her attention back to their teacher and taking notes. _He’s not the same. He’s different.  
  
…I like different._

* * *

Class was boring, Travis was boring, everything was boring. Gideon sighed as he stole another look at Judy from across the cafeteria. She was sitting with her friends, chatting and laughing, her eyes shining and her stupid big ears standing upright for once. She looked so…happy.  
  
He heard Travis talking and quickly turned back to the group before they could catch him staring. He would never hear the end of it if they did and the last thing he needed was for them to have an excuse to give him more crap.  
  
Lunch ended and they were back to class, much to his displeasure. His first day back and absolutely nothing exciting was happening. Same old boring teachers, same old boring subjects, same old boring school. Luckily for him, Judy was in most of his classes. And she kept smiling at him, which made him feel kinda funny, but he pushed that away. Instead, he focused on his doodles, just silly pictures of pies and cakes and cookies with faces on them. He remembered how much Judy had liked them, how she had complimented him on them.  
  
It had made him feel good. It was a feeling he wanted to have again and again and again. It was like nothing he had ever experienced before. It was…nice.  
  
The final bell rang and he couldn’t have been more relieved. He stuffed his books and notebooks back into his bag and slung it over his shoulder, hopping down from the desk chair. He glanced over his shoulder to see the bunny sliding down from her chair, almost slipping as she did. He snickered at her, though there was no spite behind it. It was such a shame that cute was a bad word for bunnies, it described her perfectly.  
  
_Wait…why did I just think that?_  
  
He quickly shook that way with a scowl, hating how his ear felt hot. He heard Travis call him and hurried over to his friend. The ferret smirked as he jerked his head towards his other friends. “C’mon. Let’s go have some fun.”  
  
Gideon followed after them with a frown on his muzzle. They hadn’t even asked how he had been, or even mentioned that his parents were gone. Not that he really wanted to talk about that, just…he wasn’t sure they even cared.  
  
And that hurt a bit.  
  
Travis had picked up a new gang while he’d been away. Among them were a bull whose horns were just coming in, a donkey who had yet to grow into his legs, and a pig who looked like he was about to pop out of his shirt. No names were exchanged and Gideon supposed they weren’t going to be. They were all just as rowdy and obnoxious as Travis, and as they knocked each other around and made faces at passing students he found himself getting bored. Being alone at home with Granny was starting to sound appealing…  
  
“Hey, lookie there.” The pig shoved the bull, gesturing to some poor sheep walking out of school.  
  
Wait… That was Gareth, Sharla’s twin! Gideon’s stomach dropped as he watched the group share a collective grin and start over towards the ram. He gulped before slowly following them, gripping the straps of his backpack in his paws. Were they really going to do this? Was this really going to happen?  
  
_“Please…be careful.”_  
  
_Sorry, Granny…_  
  
He followed them as they backed Gareth into a corner behind the school. The white ram glared at them all, holding his book bag in front of himself. “Whaddya want, Travis? I ain’t got nothin’ for ya.”  
  
“I saw ya with one o’ them fancy lunches today, sheep,” the ferret taunted the lamb, reaching up to tug on his horns that, like the bull, were just barely coming in. “So I know ya got some money. Give it ‘ere and we might letcha go without a beatin’.”  
  
“What did I ever do ta ya ta make ya hate me so much?” Gareth asked them, and Gid could see him blinking rapidly. Oh no. He wasn’t going to cry, was he? That would just make things worse.  
  
“Give us yer money, ya stupid sheep!” Travis growled at him, making the lamb flinch back as he was pushed against the wall.  
  
Gideon could only watch as the ram opened up his bag and pulled out a small pouch, handing it over to Travis. “There. That’s all I got.”  
  
He felt himself start to relax. That should be the end of it, right?  
  
Wrong.  
  
Travis studied the ram for a moment before turning to the bull. “Al. Teach ‘im a lesson.”  
  
The bull grinned and cracked his hooves, advancing on the lamb. Gideon could see the terror in Gareth’s eyes, the way his little hooves shook and how he cowered against the wall, body turned away and into itself.  
  
He knew that look. He knew that feeling of dread.  
  
He remembered days spent cowering in his room, hiding from Pa, then other days spent curling in on himself to keep Pa from hitting his face. Because when his face was hit Ma would have to force him to soak in ice cold water to bring the swelling down and it was so cold and he couldn’t breathe—  
  
“Travis, that’s enough.” Gideon grabbed his friend’s arm, making him look at him. “We have his money, let’s just go b’fore someone hears this.”  
  
“Did you see the way he looked at me, Gid?” The ferret snarled, turning hate-filled eyes to the lamb once again. “We gotta teach ‘im a lesson.”  
  
“No, we don’t.” He was firm, his tone making the bull stop and turn around to look at him. Gareth was staring too, still breathing hard and his eyes wide. Gid felt his insides filling with pity for the sheep. He looked back at his friend, frowning. “C’mon, man, we don’t gotta do this.”  
  
“What, have you gone soft or somethin’?” The ferret sneered at him, giving him a shove that made him stumble back a few feet. “What’s goin’ on, Grey? Spendin’ too much time with yer Granny? Turned ya into some kind of sissy boy?”  
  
He glared at him before looking at Gareth. “C’mon, let’s get outta here.”  
  
The ram hesitated before hurrying over to him, standing at his side, still trembling. He felt terrible, he should have stopped his sooner. Gideon turned his back on his friend. “C’mon.”  
  
“You just gonna walk away, Grey? Huh? Yeah that’s right, don’t fight. Jus’ like yer Pa, always so weak.”  
  
He stopped, feeling his hackles raise.  
  
Travis clearly saw this because he kept going. “Yeah, that’s right. My Pa always said that yer Pa was too weak ta be a real man, always such a sissy with yer Ma. I thought he woulda beat some sense into ya b’fore he died! Guess we were wrong!”  
  
He didn’t hear their laughter, didn’t feel his backpack drop. He wasn’t even aware that he had turned around and stomped back to them. All he saw was red, and all he felt was rage.  
  
Gideon pulled his paw back and slugged Travis in the jaw with all his might, sending the ferret flying back a few feet. He snarled at his former friend, “Don’t you EVER talk about my Ma!”  
  
Travis rubbed where Gid had just hit him before glaring at him. “Oh, you done goofed now, Grey. Al, slug ‘im.”  
  
And suddenly the bull’s hoof made contact with his rib cage and he couldn’t breathe. He dropped to his knees, struggling to get air back into his lungs. He felt the air around him grow colder and he slowly looked up as they all surrounded him.  
  
_Oh no._

* * *

“See you tomorrow, Kayla!” Judy waved to the piglet before making her way down the hall towards her locker, letting out a sigh. Today had not gone as she had hoped…but it was just his first day back. He still had plenty of time left to prove that he had changed. Poor Gideon…  
  
Judy found Bobby and Jaguar waiting at her locker with Sharla, who was weeping softly. She hurried over to her friend, immediately wrapping her arms around her as her nose twitched with worry. “Sharla, what’s wrong?”  
  
“Oh Judy, Gareth didn’t come back in!” The black lamb clung to her friend, weeping into her shoulder. “And someone told me that they saw him gettin’ cornered by Travis and that no-good Gideon Grey! I just know they’re doin’ somethin’ awful to ‘im!”  
  
Judy felt her heart sink at Sharla’s words. _Gideon…no._ “Are you sure?”  
  
“That’s what they said!” The sheep wailed, nearly inconsolable now.  
  
“We’ve been trying to tell her that they probably just want his money,” Bobby explained to Judy, giving her what she thought was supposed to be an encouraging smile. “You know those guys, they’re not stupid enough to do anything on school grounds.”  
  
“And even if they are, someone will catch them and they’ll get kicked out of school!” Jaguar piped up then immediately cowered under the weight of Judy’s glare. “But I’m sure everything is fine!”  
  
“Sharla!”  
  
They all turned their heads to see Gareth running towards them. Sharla tore herself away from Judy and nearly tackled her twin over in a hug. “Gareth! Yer okay! I was so worried!” She pulled away and looked him over. “Are you hurt? What happened?”  
  
“It was those bullies again!” Gareth said, holding onto his sister and looking back and forth from her to his friends. “They cornered me and they took my lunch money! But then that Gideon Grey stopped ‘em! And they all turned against him instead!” The ram frowned. “It serves ‘im right, if ya ask me. He’s just getting’ what was comin’ to ‘im!”  
  
Judy felt her heart sink down to her toes. _Gideon…!_ She took off down the hall, heading for the school entrance.  
  
“Judy, wait!” She heard Bobby and Jaguar call after her and heard them running behind her but she didn’t stop, she couldn’t stop. She had to save Gideon!  
  
She threw open the double doors to the school and looked around, frantically. She closed her eyes and listened closely, her ears twitching to try and get any sound.  
  
Ah…there it was! Behind the school!  
  
“C’mon!” she waved to the big cats before leaping down the stairs and sprinting towards the back of the school, where building met fence. The sounds were getting closer now, yelling and screaming and snarling…she rounded the corner and skidded to a halt, her eyes wide as she took in the scene before her.  
  
A bull, a donkey, and a pig were all pinning Gideon to the ground, who was snarling at them as he struggled to get away. Travis was standing in front of him, punching him over and over, in the face and in the stomach and the chest. The fox kit looked terrible, bleeding from his mouth and both of his eyes looked swollen. But he stood his ground, snarling each time Travis punched.  
  
“Hey!” she screamed, stomping her feet. “Let go of him!”  
  
They all turned their heads to look at her. “Judy, git outta here!” Gideon growled, though she could see fear in his eyes. Fear for her…her heart went out to him, along with her anger towards the boys who were hurting him. What right did they have? Hadn’t he gone through enough??  
  
“You heard me, let him go!” She stood her ground, her paws in fists at her sides and her eyes narrowed at them.  
  
Travis sneered at her. “Or what? What’re you gonna do, cottontail? You think you can beat me?”  
  
“I know I can!” Judy started towards him, rolling her sleeves up. She had over 100 brothers, she could take one ferret.  
  
But before she could do anything, she heard Bobby and Jaguar round the corner. “Judy! We’re here to help!”  
  
“Shit, cats! Let’s go, boys!” The boys let go of Gideon and took off, but not before Travis got in one more hit to Gideon’s face. “Next time you cross us, Grey, you won’t get away so easy!” Then they were gone.  
  
Judy didn’t bother trying to go after them, it would only cause more trouble. She let her book bag fall as she raced to Gideon’s side, wrapping an arm around him as she tried to help him to his feet. “Oh, Gid! Are you okay?”  
  
He only grunted before coughing, blood oozing from his nose. Bobby came over and helped the fox kit to his feet. “Easy, buddy.”  
  
Gid growled and shoved both of them away. “I don’ need yer help! Jus’ go away!” He stumbled over to his backpack and grabbed it before limping off, but Judy saw the pain in his eyes. And she was not about to let him be alone. Not right now.  
  
She hurried after him, grabbing her own bag and ignoring Bobby and Jaguar’s calls after her. She looked around and saw Gideon turn into an alley by the school. By the time she got over there the fox was kicking some trash cans, cursing loudly as he dented the metal.  
  
“Damn it, damn it, damn it! Stupid fuckin’ Travis, stupid fuckin’ Pa! Why can’t you jus’—ugh!” He snarled and slammed his fists into the biggest trash can before stopping, his shoulders heaving as he took in large breaths of air.  
  
Judy waited until the kit had calmed down to approach him. “Feel better?” He grunted and she took it as a reply. She reached out to touch him.  
  
“Don’t!” he snarled, making her stop right before her paw made contact. “I don’t want yer pity!”  
  
“I just want to know if you’re okay!” she protested, stomping her foot again.  
  
He whirled around, his face a mess with blood and tears. “O’ course I’m not okay! Don’tchu get it?? I’m alone! No friends, no family, livin’ with a stranger! I got nobody!” His shoulders went limp, and he fell to his knees as he blinked his blue eyes rapidly. “I’m alone…”  
  
His tone broke her heart and she reached out to him once more. “I could be your friend.”  
  
“I already said, I don’t want yer pity,” Gideon snapped, glaring at her.  
  
Judy paused. Pity, he said? Was all of this out of pity? Did she just pity this poor fox, who seemed to the world pathetic and alone? Or…was this genuine?  
  
…no. This was real. What she felt in her heart, right now, was real.  
  
She stood up straight, taking a step back and holding out her paw. She looked at him, violet eyes steady and true. “This isn’t pity, Gideon Grey. I want to be your friend, for real. And you won’t be alone anymore, because you’ll have me. I swear it on my life.” She nodded, sure and satisfied with her words. “So, will you let me be your friend?”  
  


* * *

“So, will you let me be your friend?”  
  
When asked about this years later, Gideon would tell people that this was the moment he knew that Judy Hopps was going to forever change his life. As a kit, he couldn’t know how much or just how strongly his feelings for her ran. But in that moment, he knew that he needed her to be happy, he needed her to be strong…he needed her, plain and simple.  
  
With the sun shining behind her, giving her an almost heavenly glow, he didn’t feel worthy enough to touch her, to take the paw she was offering. He didn’t understand why this bunny, this out-going and kind and courageous creature was offering him such a gift…but he wasn’t foolish enough to deny it.  
  


He reached out, his own paw hesitant but unshaken, and took her paw in his. A huge grin broke out on her muzzle and she helped him to his feet. “Then it’s decided. From now on, I’ll always be by your side. It’s a promise.”  
  
“Yeah…a-and I’ll always be by yours.” He didn’t have much to offer, especially now with his broken and bleeding face, but it was enough to make her eyes light up. And to him, that was worth it.  
  
So very, very worth it.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> once again, thank you so much for all of the support on this fic, it means a lot and helps us to keep going! visit us on our respective tumblrs if you'd like, leave a kudos or comment, and we will see you next time!


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